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KOREAN POUTINE EXISTS!

Remember that time that I said Dak Galbi was basically Korean Poutine?! Even if it’s August, it feels like Fall, you should go to Joon’s and try it!

Well, turns out someone was smart enough to actually produce the Quebec-Korean fusion dish – not just Dak Galbi. The people smart enough to do this are the folks behind Yakitori on Baldwin Street.

Yakitori on Balwin

I’m a huge fan of Baldwin street: I love to bring visitors of the city there to stun them that you can get a small town feel in the middle of Toronto. From now on, Yakitori will be my first stop when it’s time to eat and I’m in the area, and now only because they created the unicorn of all foods, let me repeat : KOREAN POUTINE! But also because they created the perfect drink to match.

Just look at that gravy + copious amounts of Kimchi!

We started off with post work drinks (pictured). My friend and I both got the Maple Makkoli. Makkoli is a type of Korean rice wine, which is fermented in a mix of water, rice and wheat which results in a milky white or cream colour. I used to drink A LOT of this stuff in Seoul. Adding a shot of maple syrup to it = the Maple Makkoli. It was sweet without being overpowering and 100% Canadian.

I wasn’t planning on ordering the poutine, but my friend I went with is also French Canadian – so how could we resist?! She was really excited about it, and being from Quebec City, she knows her poutine. She even mentioned that she doesn’t think poutines in Ontario “taste right” because the cheese churds are never fresh enough! So that she liked the poutine at Yakitori is a big deal.

Here’s what we both loved about the poutine and felt made it “authentically” Canadian:

– Fresh crispy fries

– GOOD cheese

– Strong meaty gravy

If you like soggy fries, or mushroom based gravy, then this isn’t for you. But then you’re also not a purist!

The Korean component of the poutine was remarkably generous: look at how much kimchi was on top of that poutine! No skimping there. Same goes for the pork. Koreans really really know how to do pork! Juicy, spicy, and SO much of it.

It’s no question, I’m going back to Yakito. And not just for the food – even if there is so much more I want to try. We don’t discuss prices on YYZ too often but it merits mentioning that everything at Yakitori has excellent pricing. The drink was only $5.95 and the poutine $9.95! While I am sure I packed in the calories, I don’t regret spending the money.

I’m going to try and go back before the end of summer since I also really loved the patio. A quiet street is TO is hard to find. As is particularly friendly and sweet service.